Famous Women Who Broke the Glass Ceiling

Women all over the world are still fighting for equality, especially in the workplace. There's still plenty of progress to be made, but we've rounded up some of the ladies who took hammers to the glass ceiling that tried to keep them down in their respective industries. Let this list serve as inspiration for all those who are still fighting their way to the top.

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Sandra Day O’Connor

O'Connor, now retired, was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. She was appointed by President Reagan in 1981 and retired in 2006. The judge was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama.

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Madam C.J. Walker

Madam Walker, a business woman and entrepreneur, was the richest self-made woman in America at the time of her death in 1919. She earned her wealth through a company that sold cosmetics and haircare products for black women.

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Stacey Cunningham

In 2018, Cunningham became the 67th president of the New York Stock Exchange and the first-ever female to hold that position. She launched her career at the NYSE as an intern in 1994.

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Katharine Graham

Following in the footsteps of Eliza Jane Nicholson (owner of the New Orleans Daily Picayune), Graham became the second woman in history to be named publisher of a major American newspaper when she took ownership of the Washington Post in place of her husband in 1963. Under her leadership, the paper's coverage of the Watergate scandal led to the eventual resignation of President Nixon. You know you've made a name for yourself when Meryl Streep plays you in a movie.

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Danica Patrick

Patrick holds several records in the racing world, including being the only woman to place first at the Indy Japan 300, which she accomplished in 2008. At the time of her 2018 retirement, she was (and still remains) the most successful female in Indy racing history.

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Arabella Mansfield

Mansfield paved the way for so many inspirational women by becoming the first female lawyer in the United States. She passed the bar exam in Henry County, Iowa in 1869 and later went on to become a leader in the suffrage movement there.

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Kathryn Bigelow

Bigelow is a director known for films like Point Break, K-19: The Widowmaker, and Zero Dark Thirty. It was her work on 2008's The Hurt Locker that earned her a spot in history as the first female to win the Oscar for Best Director. She also beat out her ex-husband, James Cameron, for the award.

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Elizabeth Blackwell

In 1849, Blackwell changed the world of medicine by becoming the first American female to earn a medical degree. She was a pioneer who encouraged other women to become doctors, and she eventually opened her own female-only medical college.

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Nancy Lieberman

Following her own 28-year professional basketball career, Lieberman took to the sidelines as a coach. She became the first woman to coach in a men's professional sports league when she began leading the Texas Legends in 2009—an affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Development League. Lieberman has since taken on similar roles with other teams and worked as a broadcaster.

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Aretha Franklin

After commanding respect in the music world with her soulful voice and hit records, Franklin solidified her superstar status by becoming the first female inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. A true icon of the music world.

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Nancy Pelosi

No matter which side of the political spectrum you're on, there's no denying Pelosi's achievements as a woman in politics. She became the 60th Speaker of the House in 2007 and the first woman to land the job, which she held until 2011. Pelosi returned to the position in January 2019 and remains the only woman in history to hold it.

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Megan J. Brennan

Brennan made history in 2015 becoming the first-ever female Postmaster General of the United States—a fancy way of saying she is CEO of the U.S. Postal Service. The position pre-dates the Constitution and was first held by Benjamin Franklin in 1775. Just a short 240 years to crack that ceiling...

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Valentina Tereshkova

Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983, but Tereshkova became the first woman internationally to accomplish the task 20 years earlier. She spent three days in space back in 1963, orbiting the earth aboard Russia's Vostok 6.

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Chicago Daily Tribune

Marie Owens

Owens is widely reported to be the first female police officer in the United States. She joined the Chicago Police Department in 1891 and eventually made rank as Sergeant. During her time with the department, she focused on enforcing child labor and welfare laws. She remained active on the force until 1923.

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Junko Tabei

As a Japanese mountaineer, Tabei became the first woman to reach the top of Mount Everest in 1975. She's also the first female to climb the highest peaks on all seven continents.

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